Sometimes you don't have to go far to find the fountain of youth. If you really want to feel younger and fight disease, consider looking no farther than your plate.

"Our diet plays an important role in our lives from birth, through the lifespan and into aging," says Rosanna Lee, a nutrition educator and community health promoter based in Toronto. "As we get older, we may have reduced appetites, chronic diseases, and physical symptoms that make it challenging to eat healthy."

"Choose foods with minimal fat, sugar or salt added. More emphasis should be made on these foods during meals and snacks," Lee says. "As we get older, we may not be able to eat as much or as frequently as we used to so it is important to select foods with higher amounts of energy and nutrition."

Lee says if you're getting tired of the same old palette, adding new spices to your meals also works. She recommends a combination of the Mediterranean diet, the Japanese diet, and the French diet — cuisines that are low in fat and high in nutrients.

LOOK — 10 foods you should add to your plate for the rest of your life:

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10 Foods To Eat For The Rest Of Your Life

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Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, spinach and kale provide our bodies with folate, calcium, and other nutrients that support proper bone health, promote cognitive function, and prevent age-related eye problems, says Rosanna Lee, professional nutrition educator and community health promoter based in Toronto.

Blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, raspberries and blackberries are packed with antioxidants that promote cell health and protect us against disease. "Look for darker berries like blueberries or blackberries as they provide the best anti-aging benefits due to higher concentration of antioxidants," Lee says.

Eating or drinking dark chocolate (yum) can protect you against skin damage from UV light. "Look for dark chocolate, with at least 60 per cent cocoa, to reap the most benefits," she adds. Dark chocolate contains a high concentration of antioxidants that helps improve blood pressure and prevent blood clots. One to two squares per day is considered to be an average serving, but if you're concerned about adding chocolate to your diet (for health reasons), speak to your doctor.

"Beans like kidney beans and soy are an excellent source of low-fat protein with a good amount of fibre, antioxidants and essential vitamins and minerals like iron, vitamin B and potassium." Research has also found that beans also protect against breast and prostate cancers.

An essential ingredient in the Mediterranean diet, olive oil is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory monounsaturated fats (the good kind of fat). Use olive oil in your cooking and meal planning to lower your risk for cardiovascular diseases, cancer and age-related cognitive decline.

Tomatoes contains rich amounts of lycopene (an antioxidant) that helps maintain skin texture and reduce your risk for prostate, lung and stomach cancers, as well as heart disease, Lee says. "It is better to eat tomatoes cooked, rather than raw. Studies have found that cooking tomatoes for 30 minutes for about 88 degrees Celsius increases lycopene concentration by 35 per cent."

Almonds and walnuts are packed with nutrients. These nuts contain healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and protein that can benefit your cardiovascular and brain health, she adds. Nuts have been found to also reduce inflammation in the body.

White and green teas contain epigallocatechin gallate, which is one of the most powerful forms of antioxidants. Many studies have found drinking green and white tea may lower one’s risk for heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. And believe it or not, tea also keeps body hydrated.

NEXT: 10 Exercises You Can Do For The Rest Of Your Life

Start with your feet hip-width apart and hold your weights at shoulder height with your arms bent and hands close to the body, says Barry Duncan, owner and operator of Momentum Fitness, located in Kitsilano, B.C. Next, lower yourself into a seated position keeping your knees over your feet and chest high (pictured here). As you exhale, contract your glutes, push through and stand and press your weights above your head. Breathe in and lower your weights and move back into your squat. Repeat.

Start in a middle plank position by holding your body off the floor, resting on your elbows and toes and keeping your hands apart. Next, hold this plank for 30 to 45 seconds and then rotate up onto your right elbow and right side of the foot keeping your hips off the floor and your body perpendicular to the floor.
Hold this position for the same amount of time and then return to the middle plank. Repeat on your left side, and remember to breathe throughout this routine. You can also modify this exercise by going on your knees or working off a bench.

Bending at the hip to about a 45 degree angle, keep your weights over the middle of the foot and back straight. Start with your arms straight out and then breathe out as pull your elbow back towards your hips. Inhale as you lower back into your starting position and repeat until fatigued. Again, you can modify this exercise by switching to a one-arm row by placing your free hand on a bench, or you can lie down on an incline bench once you can no longer hold yourself in a bent-over position.

"I like to use a medicine ball that I can then roll from one hand to the other but you can also use a yoga block or low step," Duncan says. Place one hand on the elevated object and the other flat on the floor and keep your hands wider than shoulder-width and your arms straight. As you breathe in, slowly lower your chest to the floor moving your hips in unison and remember not to keep your butt in the air. You can always modify this position at the knees.

Start with your right foot in the middle of a BOSU ball (a training device shown in the photo). Next, raise your left arm and bend your elbow to a 90-degree angle, keeping your right arm at your side at 90 degrees as well. Breathe out as you stand on the right foot and switch your arm positions into a lunge. Stepping back down, lower your left knee as close to the floor as possible (without touching the ground) and switch arm positions again. Modify this move by not using a BOSU or not raising the knee.

"Again I would use a BOSU in my younger years to add that instability that makes the exercise harder," Duncan says. Seated on the top of the BOSU ball (or floor), lean back to a 45-degree angle and lift your feet off the ground. Hold the medicine ball out from your body and rotate your shoulders to your right. As you twist your body, lower the medicine ball down towards the floor. Return to starting position and rotate to the left, do as many as you can and breathe during the entire movement.

Lie on a mat with your feet on the ball, keeping your legs in a straight position and a small bend at the knees. Lift your hips in the air forming a straight line from your shoulder through the hip joint to the ankle joint. Breathe out and pull your feet towards your bum. You can modify this move by using a larger ball or supporting your hips with your hands.

Start with a middle crunch and add a crunch on the left and right side. Breathe out with each crunch, and remember, this is not a race. Slowing down will build more strength. To modify this exercise, you can take breaks in between crunches.

"For pull-ups you have three main grips and each changes the difficulty and the amount of work for the muscles involved," Duncan says. "For our purposes we will start with a wide grip pull-up which is also the harder of the three main grips." Start by griping your bar with your hands spread out like you are making the letter Y. Keeping your knees bent, breathe out and lift your chest towards the bar. To modify this move, switch the grip to an underhand grip, hook your knee in a thick band, or have a friend assist you.

"The hip hinge is a fundamental exercise for proper squats, deadlifts, kettle bell exercise and any lifting technique," Duncan says. For the deadlift, using a barbell, start with the bar over top of the center of your foot, this may require two stable platforms for the bar to rest on. Next, flexing at the hip by bending forward and keeping the back straight, keep a small bend in the knee and reach down to grip the bar. Breathe out and lift from your hips by contracting your glutes and make sure the bar is around mid-thigh before you start to lower. To modify, switch to dumbbells or no weights at all.

Berries
Blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, raspberries and blackberries are packed with antioxidants that promote cell health and protect us against disease. "Look for darker berries like blueberries or blackberries as they provide the best anti-aging benefits due to higher concentration of antioxidants," Lee says.

Beans
"Beans like kidney beans and soy are an excellent source of low-fat protein with a good amount of fibre, antioxidants and essential vitamins and minerals like iron, vitamin B and potassium." Research has also found that beans also protect against breast and prostate cancers.

Olive Oil
An essential ingredient in the Mediterranean diet, olive oil is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory monounsaturated fats (the good kind of fat). Use olive oil in your cooking and meal planning to lower your risk for cardiovascular diseases, cancer and age-related cognitive decline.

Tomatoes
Tomatoes contains rich amounts of lycopene (an antioxidant) that helps maintain skin texture and reduce your risk for prostate, lung and stomach cancers, as well as heart disease, Lee says. "It is better to eat tomatoes cooked, rather than raw. Studies have found that cooking tomatoes for 30 minutes for about 88 degrees Celsius increases lycopene concentration by 35 per cent."

Nuts
Almonds and walnuts are packed with nutrients. These nuts contain healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and protein that can benefit your cardiovascular and brain health, she adds. Nuts have been found to also reduce inflammation in the body.

Green And White Tea
White and green teas contain epigallocatechin gallate, which is one of the most powerful forms of antioxidants. Many studies have found drinking green and white tea may lower one’s risk for heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. And believe it or not, tea also keeps body hydrated.